128497 Dynast the Devastator (level 17, -6/106 HPs) Began as a Tengu Wanderer on July 9, 2016. Was a High Priest of Vehumet. Mangled by Agnes ... wielding a +2 vampiric lajatang (52 damage) ... on level 1 of the Elven Halls on July 11, 2016. The game lasted 02:06:51 (35991 turns).

You're playing a harder than usual start, the kind that takes some effort and dedication to get going past the first adder you see. Formicid Fire Elementalist, in my case, but any number of deep elves or tengu or what have you should be able to relate. It's D:2, and you've finally obtained some decent stuff that should help ensure that you'll get somewhere, perhaps even something rather unusual and fun; in my case, I wrested a +7 club off of Robin after a pretty fun stair dancing battle with her and her small horde. Great! The game's getting pretty exciting. This is quite nice.

Oh, look. It's Ijyb. She's not wielding another ridiculous club and her armor seems normal, looks like easy experie-

The acid burns! You die...

...

Few things in Crawl ever bother me anymore. It's a great game and I generally enjoy most everything about it. It's been a few years now since I started and I enjoy it probably as much or more than I ever have in the past. But this, this situation here always bugs me. Almost no one is going to be able to survive more than two turns with something zapping a wand of acid in sight on D:2, much less a magic using background that will inevitably have low defensive stats at the very start of the game. Extremely dangerous weapon brands such as venom or electrocution are nowadays mercifully mentioned to the player without the necessity of being whacked by them first, and potentially troublesome armors are at least visible as glowing, runed, etc. when a monster is examined with x-v. Wands have no such warning. You have no idea whatsoever that something has a potentially instantly lethal acid stick in its inventory until your face is already melted into a thick yellow goo. The most you can do is flee from Ijyb as soon as you encounter her on principle, but she's not the only monster in the game that can randomly have an extremely disproportionately dangerous wand and it generally strikes me as an entirely pointless method of player execution. Ijyb in particular can show up early enough to make this exceptionally ridiculous.

Blomdor wrote:Oh, look. It's Ijyb. She's not wielding another ridiculous club and her armor seems normal, looks like easy experie-

The acid burns! You die...

Wait, didn't devs remove this? The only time i got wrecked by a high tier wand in the hands of an early monster (Ijyb with acid too) this year happened to me on April Fools. I was playing the latest trunk build and thought i got trolled by the dev team.Since i'm trying to streak games online, this actually bothers me.

This was in .18, so it is present at least in the latest stable version. Whether this has been changed at all in trunk, I would not know. It's certainly not a tweak I'd disagree with, haha.

Another scenario that occasionally emerges to cause some frustration is when, upon taking the risk of equipping an unidentified item and finding that it is cursed, one proceeds to fight bitterly down to Lair or even further in particularly bad instances without finding a single scroll of remove curse. I ran into this one today not long after getting melted by Ijyb. I barely scraped by with +0 leather stuck to me down to D:13 before finally giving in and ctrl-q'ing upon deciding that it simply wasn't worth the effort (it helped that I was pursued by a small horde of slime creatures and other nasty things that I could not hope to survive if I were forced to fight). Bonus points if you gather a small collection of much more useful equipment that takes up the same slot in the process.

The same sort of thing can happen with potions of curing and other normally common consumables that make life in the dungeon exponentially more bearable, though in that case you may be mercifully dispatched by some venomous thing before it drags on for quite so long. In the late game, cure mutation will sometimes decide not to exist, which can be a bother if, like myself, you're really not very good at avoiding mutation spam and you have an odd preference for taking Slime as your third rune.

Trog or Oka gift a weapon of distortion. Which, in my case, I only equipped because I was using slicing weapons and would have liked a flame brand for hydras instead of relying on a +3 trident. I didn't need it, mind you, just would have appreciated it. It's a god gift, what are the chances, right? High enough, evidently.

Distortion's strength as a brand aside, I loathe using it and would rather die in the Abyss than be stuck with it until XL20 or God knows when I'll be relatively certain that Abyss will be easy to survive. Honestly, though, the only part of this equation that I would really complain about is hydras. Nothing else in the game encourages me to perform this sort of silly brand hunting and weapon swapping. I'll gladly do Crypt without holy wrath or Zot sans antimagic, but going to the trouble of zapping every hydra I see with wands or poking it to death with a bad to mediocre weapon when I have a perfectly good battleaxe on hand just because whoops I didn't take bludgeoning weapons or simply go unarmed, that I will risk distortion unwielding to avoid.

You have over 30 SH, reflection, and are hitting a deep elf annihilator with an antimagic battleaxe at mindelay, but it still crystal spears you for 60+ damage and kills you.

Addendum: Elementalists make Elf:3 horrible for formicids. The "degenerate" tactic they devote their entire existence to preventing is an essential racial ability of Fo, and if one of them comes running out of the loot vault with a demonologist and/or an annhilator in tow you can very quickly find yourself in a bad situation that you cannot simply teleport or shaft away from. It doesn't help at all that the elves, by nature, behave rather inconsistently and can either do no damage or a monstrous amount of it on any given turn depending on the will of the RNG, so I for one am often lulled into a sense of false security while fighting them, especially annihilators and *especially* if I have a lot of SH. I almost never see that 90+-whatever damage coming when it hits.

Someone dug that "antimagic is a strong brand" meme too deep, you were using a +0 AM baxe instead of your +8 Chop Exec Axe. Also, when doing elf make sure you have at least one silence scroll(which you did have).

Duvessa: I'm aware, but amulets of reflection do increase your SH by a small amount I believe.

It should go without saying to anyone who's looked at the morgue or watched me play that yes, I'm completely horrible at the game and forget the most basic, ridiculous things. How I've managed as many wins as I have, I do not really know. Beating my head against the keyboard until it works, I like to say.

The idea of antimagic being a magically (ba-dum *tish*) overpowered brand was instilled in me very early on and I legitimately thought it would increase my chances of survival more than freaking Frostbite. Lesson learned, I suppose.

Elf is fun, generally, but after a long stretch of Fo play it's becoming clear that it's often not a good idea to go there. It's just a stupid thing I tend to do, much like doing Orc before Lair. Habit, stubbornness, idiocy, something like that.

The basic point was that it is annoying when you're (stupidly, I know) relying on your high SH to block a crystal spear and it...doesn't. I was going to mention my preference for AC over EV and SH, but then looked it up and discovered that, evidently, crystal spear doesn't care about AC either. Suffice to say, annihilators are bothersome little twerps.

duvessa wrote:Reflection doesn't decrease the chance of the crystal spear hitting you at all.

Reflection doesn't affect the chance of the first one hitting you, true.But if the reflected crystal spear kills the caster, it reduces the damage and accuracy of all subsequent attacks to 0, so reflection can be said to decrease average damage and accuracy, in a sense.

Draconian ghosts exist in their current form. It hardly needs elaborated upon.

I'm fully convinced that replacing their bolt of draining with *something* more reasonable as a spammable ranged attack in the early dungeon would have a positive effect on the game. People could play draconians as much as they like without making the game unnecessarily more frustrating to everyone else on the server. The lack of drain bolting or breathing monsters early on, which I'm sure is intentional, would not be subverted randomly and without warning. At the very least, potions of resistance could provide protection against negative energy. I feel like my options as a formicid especially are "run away and be drained if not killed" and "gee, I hope I have lignification and enough firepower." Oh, I suppose there's "shaft myself and hope I don't land inside a swarm of bees," too.

If there is one single thing in Crawl today that I think could be zapped into oblivion without changing the game in any noticeable way whatsoever, it is the mimic. They cannot possibly pose any kind of real challenge, as they are entirely harmless and perform no action outside of poofing into nothingness. They may take the place of a shop in Orc, but this merely subtracts one from the entirely variable number that may spawn throughout the game as a whole. Add this to the considerable rarity of any given shop being particularly worthwhile either within or outside of Orc, and it's almost entirely insignificant. In the highly unlikely case that they mimic a timed portal, they cause the player some measure of disappointment, but no more than that; a player that dies rushing to a portal is a dead player whether it's a mimic or not, so the "trap" created in this way seems to be pointless. Outside of these two circumstances, they amount to no more than a message one may see while pressing "o", as far as I can tell.

I'm considering making a thread to ask why these are still in the game, but it might not be worth that much.

Vergil: well, it's something! Rune mimics like to pop up on Vaults:5 as well, presumably to foil ninjas. I still think they could be zapped without much consequence, though, and Abyss...is annoying enough as it is.

After a particularly frustrating experience with a catoblepas involving reapplication of the petrifying status immediately after turning back to flesh, I'm adding them to the list. It's especially annoying to me because I play many, many formicids, and unlike traditional forms of paralysis it does not respect stasis.

Porkalator is a *really* odd spell. I learned just now that lignification will not even work while you are under Kirke's personal gimmick spell, because "you are stuck in your current form!" I died after quaffing cancellation, because even that will not instantly revert you. In addition to the usual myriad restrictions, you cannot dig or shaft yourself as a formicid while in pig form. Like so many things, it's really particularly awful for a formicid (unless the pig form temporarily removes the innate stasis, but I would be highly surprised, not to mention the unlikelihood that anyone would be carrying any teleblinking around as a Fo). Like certain other annoying things, it makes me wish I had gone for unarmed combat. I've taken Kirke out before in pigform with some UC trained.

Now I am curious: if you're polymorphed by a wand, are you "stuck" in that form as well? Or is this some strange bending of the rules to accommodate Kirke's gimmick? I'd like to think that quaffing treeform to get out of the rare 'morphing crisis in exchange for rooting yourself in place would be a possible desperation move.

Her summoning Shoals enemies at times (manticores, harpies) as well as sphinxes does not help. Harpies are faster than pigform and will do a huge amount of damage if you try to run for distant stairs. She has the right flavor for Shoals in general; makes me wish she would stay there so I never had to see her onscreen, along with every other obnoxious thing that hangs around there.

The chain mail is a mimic! The chain mail mimic chortles and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The scroll of vulnerability is a mimic! The scroll mimic giggles and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The knobbly glowing staff is a mimic!_The staff mimic titters and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The phantom mirror is a mimic! The phantom mirror mimic chuckles and vanishes! The potion of lignification is a mimic! The potion mimic titters and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The fifteen gold pieces are a mimic! The gold piece mimic giggles and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The eighteen gold pieces are a mimic!_The gold piece mimic guffaws and vanishes in a puff of smoke!_You now have 517 gold pieces (gained 122). The lamp of fire is a mimic! The lamp of fire mimic snickers and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The beef jerky is a mimic!_The beef jerky mimic guffaws and vanishes!_The curved jewelled rod is a mimic! The rod mimic titters and vanishes! The chain mail is a mimic! The chain mail mimic chuckles and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The scroll of identify is a mimic!_The scroll mimic chortles and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The buckler is a mimic! The buckler mimic chortles and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The slice of pizza is a mimic!_The slice of pizza mimic titters and vanishes! The staff of wizardry is a mimic! The staff of wizardry mimic snickers and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The glowing dagger is a mimic! The dagger mimic snickers and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The thick jewelled rod is a mimic! The rod mimic chortles and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The blackened pearl amulet is a mimic! The amulet mimic giggles and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The potion of degeneration is a mimic!_The potion mimic guffaws and vanishes in a puff of smoke! The leather armour is a mimic!_The leather armour mimic chuckles and vanishes in a puff of smoke!

"Nice treasures in Snake Pit you have there", said Xom, and made the whole world a mimic.If someone asks, why mimics is in the game, show them this.At least I've got scrolls of immolation left

P.s there was literally one structure on the whole S:3, and it was full of mimics. That's something new.

Get down to D2, put on a ring...a -2 ring of evasion. Great. But at least it's only -2.Read all my scrolls...but no remove curse. Joy. But at least remove curse is easy to find early on.Step into a shaft...and get sucked down to D4. Okay. I can pull this out.A hill giant comes into view...well that's not good. Run. Run, run, and more run.Grinder comes into view...aaand crap. Seriously. Which god did I piss off now?

That said, the character's not dead yet, though - he hit a lucky teleport trap, and found the stairs.

Ok, the chance to get something bad is quite low and I have 9 different scrolls, one of them must be remove curse.

Code:

Put on which piece of jewellery? (? for menu, Esc to quit)You feel slightly jumpy. Oops, that ring feels deathly cold.q - a cursed ring of teleportation (left hand)Read which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Really read h - 3 scrolls labeled NODGHEL COLOJ {!r}? As you read the scroll labeled NODGHEL COLOJ {!r}, it crumbles to dust.It is a scroll of identify.Identify which item? (\ to view known items) (? for menu, Esc to quit)i - a potion of cancellation {!q}; q - 2 scrolls of identify {!r}h - a cursed ring of teleportation (left hand)Your horns disappear.Read which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Really read p - a scroll labeled WINOGO BAJU {!r}? As you read the scroll labeled WINOGO BAJU {!r}, it crumbles to dust.It is a scroll of recharging.You aren't carrying any rechargeable items.Read which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Really read o - a scroll labeled GEINIO EW ONWEAGI {!r}? As you read the scroll labeled GEINIO EW ONWEAGI {!r}, it crumbles to dust.It is a scroll of enchant armour.Enchant which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Your +0 robe glows green for a moment.Read which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Really read l - a scroll labeled BIMUGEP ACAA {!r}? As you read the scroll labeled BIMUGEP ACAA {!r}, it crumbles to dust.It is a scroll of enchant weapon.You aren't carrying any weapons that can be enchanted.Unknown command.Read which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Really read f - a scroll labeled FAIJUA BAOXT {!r}? As you read the scroll labeled FAIJUA BAOXT {!r}, it crumbles to dust.The air around you briefly surges with heat, but it dissipates.It was a scroll of immolation {!r}.Read which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Really read g - a scroll labeled CITRYPS NEERU {!r}? As you read the scroll labeled CITRYPS NEERU {!r}, it crumbles to dust.The scroll dissolves into smoke. It was a scroll of fog {!r}.Read which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Really read k - a scroll labeled GUCUJOH TUIFIN {!r}? As you read the scroll labeled GUCUJOH TUIFIN {!r}, it crumbles to dust.You feel strangely unstable.It was a scroll of teleportation {!r}.Read which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Really read m - a scroll labeled YWU GAFOBEBRE {!r}? As you read the scroll labeled YWU GAFOBEBRE {!r}, it crumbles to dust.You assume a fearsome visage. Nothing appears to happen.It was a scroll of fear {!r}.Read which item? (? for menu, Esc to quit)Really read n - a scroll labeled JUYPOYSEDGH {!r}? As you read the scroll labeled JUYPOYSEDGH {!r}, it crumbles to dust.You feel aware of your surroundings. You sensed 3 altars.It was a scroll of magic mapping {!r}.

Sar wrote:And people say curses and identification minigame are irrelevant!

But they are irrelevant, I didn't die because of that ring and didn't have to use any consumable because of that ring (being SpTm with Sticks to Snakes and Spider Form at low failure rate because of ring of wizardry and +3 aptitude in Tm helps ).I died on D3 to killer bees (not sure what they were doing there, I spent just 200 turns on the level) and that ring actually had a chance to SAVE me.

Sar wrote:If they were not relevant you wouldn't post that occurrence in this thread!

It was relevant for my emotional feeling, I got scared. But it had zero impact on the game. Maybe the ring should teleport player every 50 turns or so to be always relevant and not luck-based. I still was able to reach stairs and rest upstairs every time I wanted.